hmsports

From everything I've read in my performance books over the last eight year, the rear wing/spoiler usually only does any good at over 150mph. Most of the aftermarket wings you see are just to make the cars look cool. I'd find it hard to believe that the wing on the site from your link has had much wind tunnel testing - it was probably designed by an artist, not an engineer. What kind of racing are you doing? I know from personal experience that lowering the car and having a good front air-damn to keep the air from lifting the front of the car will keep it quite stable. My vote is for you to save the money on the wing and see how the air-damn and side skirts work out first. FWIW, Rick

One way I heard of doing this was to use some type of chemical stripper. Very nasty, stinky and time-consuming job. I've stripped both of my 72s using a larger ballpeen hammer and whacking the insulation pretty smartly. It is so old and brittle that it pops off in most places. The remaining tough stuff is where I use a stiff putty knife or an old wood chisel and a hammer to pry it off. I've been really successful with this method. If there is any left that you can't get out, use the stripper - at least you will have gotten more than 90% of it the easy way. Two things, don't hit it too hard or you will dimple the floor pan underneath, and I found a lot of rust in my floor pans this way - which wasn't a bad thing.

I've never used any shoe for my 72 ITS racer other than the cheapest I could get from Napa and I've never had a problem. They wear quite a long time. I've always run aluminum drums. More for the 'perceived' notion that they may be lighter and therefore remove some of the un-sprung/rotating weight -- ok, so we're not racing F1 and this won't make the difference between winning or losing but every little bit helps. I've never had a problem with heat in my rear brakes much - one of the things you can do is make a small sheet metal scoop that fits into the lower control arm's rectangular opening (see attached attempt at a drawing) which will direct air into a 2" flexible hose that terminates at an inlet at the backing plate for the drum. It is important to make sure the air that goes in has a way to get out... so make some exit holes - at least the same total area as your inlet hole. These can be placed at your discression.

The fuel filter is on the passenger side of the engine bay quite near the front to the car. They are kind of transparent so you can do a visual check. If you see any grit or dirt in there replace it - they are cheap. Also, if there is an electrical fuel pump at the rear of the car, take it out and check the inlet port. There is a sock-like bag that fits over the fuel pickup inside the fuel tank. Over time this can deteriorate and small particles will clog the electric fuel pump. You can usually pick these out with a small dental tool or something like it. It is a good idea to place an aftermarket filter between the fuel tank and the electric pump to keep from having to do this in the future. Also check the banjo fittings on your floats. They have small internal screen filters that may get clogged. Carefully remove the fittings and inspect/wash these. Hope that helps, Rick

I found out quickly during my first year of racing just how important it is to keep the Z's brakes cool. I built some shrouds that helped a ton. I was able to keep my pads from deteriorating so quickly and the rotors/pads/calipers and brake fluid from staying so hot. There are also some easy ways to duct air into the rear drums to force more air on them. And yes, it is called brake-fade... almost as dangerous as brain-fade BTW - 240Z club members get a 10% discount

Maybe your return springs are stretched too long or they are too stiff. I guess start with the easy thing and grease it up.

Check to make sure that your return springs are not binding or getting twisted/kinked as you move the linkage. It sounds like it may be and then it flops over the bind and... whoom. Also make sure it isn't your linkage that is binding or twising. It can't hurt to hit the joints with oil to free them but make sure to use a good lubricating grease as it will last longer than 6-in-1 oil.

Use Naval Jelly (available at any hardware store) to remove rust - then use a good primier. It is MUCH safer than phosphoric acid. Or use a wire brush brush and some sand paper. Phosphoric acid is extremely hot - and it will burn quickly. My father-in-law (a professional painter) has used it many times on big jobs and he has 'recommended' that it not be used - he has seen too many guys get hurt - including one guy that burn his eyes and is now blind. That's my two-cents.

The 260 and the 280 add several hundred pounds over the 240. So, since you will have to strenghten things anyway, why not start with a lighter car so you end up with something that can get off the line quicker?

If you read the fine print when you buy a new alternator they say that using the alternator to charge a low battery will cause harm to the alternator. It would be best to use a charger to get the battery back to 12 volts before starting it. I'm not sure of the exact time it would take to deplete the battery but you would be surprised how fast even the small bulbs will drain a car battery.

Yes, my car is strickly a track car. I'd keep things less than 200# for a street car... like you said, no reason to become that friendly with your dentist. I measure ride height at the bottom of the rocker, not including the 1/2" lip that bends down where it is welded. I've been running the Tokiko Illuminas but they don't last. I'm hoping to move up to some Koni inserts this season. They are double adjustable and from what I understand, last a lot longer - plus they are rebuildable. My strut towers have had about 2 to 2-1/2" removed to make them shorter too.

I've got 275# up front and 250# in the rear with 5" ride height.

The Pertronix ignitor replaces the breaker points. The MSD is an acronym for Multi-Spark-Discharge. It improves power, quickens throttle response, smooths idle and makes for easier starting. It also reduces spark plug fouling, reduces emissions and improves gas mileage. Ok, I know that sounds like an ad... well it came from theMSD web site. What it does is provide multiple sparks for each normal spark. This helps the fuel/air mixture to burn more efficiently, resulting in all the above benefits. It needs some type of ignitor, either breaker points (not recommended) or something like the Pertronix. ---- Double check the wiring. Make sure you have a ballast resister (if required) hooked up. Make sure the paddles in the distributor are set and the optical trigger is aligned and adjusted. I know from experience how easy it is to get the wrong wire to the positive side of the coil.

My 72 ITS car would do 115mph at 7000 with a stock 4 speed and a 4.11 rear end down the straight at Gateway into turn 1. This is a fun corner because as you come off the oval onto the road course there is a transition from a 4 degree bank. You have to stay on the gas until after the bump and then get on the brakes hard to slow down for turn 2. If you let off over the bump, the rear gets light and unsettled and can easily come around... many cars have ended up in the wall. Anyway, in theory, with a 3.36 rear you should be able to hit 142.5mph (doubtful) but I think it would take a much longer straightaway, good front ground effects and some titanium cajones.

If you find a reputable body shop, figure about $45/hr for the work and probably about 10-20 hours. MSA has several kits from $170 to $310.

If the speedomer cables routes through this, it may be a set of gears to get the speedometer to register correctly if the wheel/tire diameter was changed from stock. Reminds me of a friend with a VB bug who kept getting tickets. He couldn't figure out why the speedometer showed 12MPH slower than he really was going - he took it to a speed-o shop and they installed a gear reduction box and he was reading correctly since the tires were larger diameter than the speedometer was built for. I'm not quite sure why it needs a vacuum line. This is my best quess. Rick

If you are just doing hard street driving I would say the stock replacements would be fine - the amount of flex you get isn't going to make that much of a difference, IMO - but for just $30 it may be worth it to get just that tiny bit of extra steering feel.

All the force on the bushings are rearward and since the aluminium cup and delrin bushing act as the rotation point and terminator for all the force, I'm guessing the use of the rubber on the back side is more for rebound dampening and adjustment. I'm just guessing...

If the cam needs to be replaced, you must also replace the rocker arms... which also means most likely replacing lash pads... and rocker arm keeper springs.

Arizona Z-Car has custom ones also... $299 each corner

Check your wheel bearings and also that your tires aren't rubbing at full lock. You may also want to make sure your torsion bar bushings are not slack or worn. Also check your lower control arm bushings, tie rod ends and ball joints.

There are two places to get them... MSA has a EURO Damper for $118 and the special crank bolt is another $30. Nissan Motorsports has the same setup for about the same price. They also have one they advertise as a Race Damper for $500 plus another $40 for the bolt. I use the MSA version on my ITS racecar that is full race prepped. I think that is all you would need for anything more than a full-blown killer ($15K or more worth) of race engine - which is where you wouldn't mind spending the $500. For a daily driver I think $150 could be used a lot more wisely. Rick

Arizona Z Car Has them... Ground Control also has some... You may be able to get some parts from some of the other suppliers, even some from stock car magazines that may be cheaper... but the complete kits are all there with good directions on how to put them in. You will have to cut your strut towers down and remove the stock spring perch. It is not a hard job, just take your time. Make sure not to burn thru the towers when you weld them together as you won't be able to get the strut inserts in if the weld blob goes thru.

MSA has them for $62.34 for a set of four. 1-800-633-6331

Seems like another one of those rich dudes that has more 'dollars' than 'sense'. Ok, so I'm a bit jealous I'm not one of em :-)